Friday, April 24, 2015

TGIF! And today, the "goodness" is in the form of a new challenge over at Simply Papercraft! This is Challenge #3, and our theme is "Lots of Layers". As always, you can also submit Anything Goes cards to our challenge as well. The challenge is being sponsored by Sassy Studio and A Day For Daisies this time around. You can visit the Simply Papercraft blog for the challenge link up and prize details! My card features a lovely image from Sassy Studio called Snow Queen Portrait!

Isn't she lovely? What a fun image to color. And yes, we saw Frozen no less than 5 times (as my kids can confirm). ;) The sketch for this card comes from the current Sketch Saturday Challenge (Sketch Saturday #357). Here's the sketch:

Love it! Great inspiration by the Design Team over there as well.That's all for me for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful day AND a fun-filled weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Good Thursday morning, world! Today I get to make another fun announcement - I have joined the crew over at the Creative Knockouts Challenge Blog - a new challenge every Thursday! I've played along in some of their challenges recently so I thought it would be fun to help inspire too! I hope you will join me in playing along, plus you have a chance each week to win amazing prizes from the generous sponsor companies!This week's challenge theme is Make a Tag or Use a Tag, and our sponsor is Sweet 'N Sassy Stamps! Here is my project for today (I used a tag on my card), featuring Milton's Good Book

Here are a couple of other views of the card to show the coloring and other details:

.I used one of this month's Viva La Verve sketches for this card - April, week 3. Here is the sketch:

I had fun with this one. I was not sure when I first started putting this card together if the sketch was going to work out, but after a lot of changed elements and tweaking layers, I'm quite pleased with it. :)Challenges:Inspiration Destination - #30: Anything GoesInky Impressions - #206: Punch It(the tag is made of 2 layered tag punches from Stampin' Up!)Crafty Cardmakers - #37: Dots (embossed dot background)Crafting From The Heart - #56: Anything GoesThat's all for me for now, I'll be back tomorrow with a new challenge from Simply Papercraft! Have a great day and stamp happy!

Friday, April 17, 2015

Hello and Happy Friday! Wow, another week has just flown by around here. But all good things, the kids are staying busy, the weather is GORGEOUS and of course got in some stamping time!Today we are bringing you a new challenge over at Wags 'n Whiskers. In the true vein of springtime, we want to see FLOWERS! Don't forget, there are FREE STAMPS up for grabs! Bring on the floral fantasy with your lovely creations, and link up on the W'nW blog post!Here is my card, using the image "Fairy: Lacey". She's my favorite of the fairies, but they are all quite lovely. You can find all of them in the Wags 'n Whiskers shop.

I had a hard time pulling this card together initially. I had a different sketch and layout in mind, but it just wasn't working. I ended up changing it around and I'm much much happier with the end result! I did use a sketch for this project today, Digi Sketch Challenge for this week, which included the sketch, with an optional twist of flowers. I also chose the inspiration photo piece from Creative Colors (#33) for my color palette. I actually searched around for a color challenge specifically for this image. I LOVE it (I think I mentioned that....) but when I'm doing fairies, I tend to gravitate toward pink/green/white as my color combo. Not that there is anything wrong with that! I love that one. I have a whole bunch of them in my stash, and they are so pretty and girlie and fun. But I wanted to branch out a little bit today, and this bright, springy, happy photo really caught my eye! So here are my inspirations:

Instructions:

This is a 5.5" x 5.5" square card. I gave it 1/4" margins all around (the 1/8" didn't allow enough of the layers through for my taste). The Orchid layer is stamped with the outline Mosaic Background Stamp from Starving Artistamps in Versamark and heat embossed using "Bridal" embossing powder from a local stamping shop - a clear EP with a purpleish glitter tone to it (how's THAT for a description?!). Of course Lacey is done in black on Papertrey white cardstock and colored with Copic markers. I cut around her to use the circle Nestabilities and the entire main image layer is adhered with dimensional foam tape. The patterned paper pieces are from Die Cuts With A View, Basic Grey, and Stampin' Up! All flowers are from Prima and the pearls are Kaisercraft (they are yellow). I paper pierced the edge using my SU piercing template and did the faux stitching effect using a gold metallic paint marker. The sentiment is actual wooden Scrabble tiles I pilfered from a Scrabble board game to further the cause of extreme stamp supply {hoarding} needs. :)

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Good morning everyone! Happy Sunday to all you lovely stampers around the world! Today I have a wonderful card to share with you using the current sketch from Cardabilities. Karan has some of the most BEAUTIFUL out there, and she always has such AMAZING entries. I love the push I feel when working with her sketches to really up my game and doll up my creations - lace and flowers and BLING - everything! :) A girl needs a lot of bling in her world, am I right?

Here's what I came up with, using Time For Tea Designs "Hugs" image (oh yes, I printed SHEETS of digis from all different companies last week - time to PLAY!!!). I love this image! This sweetie is so easy to color with her clean lines, and her beautiful hair of course. Truthfully, all of the Time For Tea digis are adorable.

As I said, I used the current Cardabilities Sketch for this card, Cardabilities #120. Here it is:

So lovely, as always. Thanks to Karan and her DT for the inspiration! I'm linking up a couple of other challenges:

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Wow, Saturday already! Our Spring Break week flew by...and we weren't even that scheduled! The boys and I had some very fun days though, and even some crafting time as you can see below. :) I *heart* them and I *heart* being back in the stamping groove!

As part of diving back into my craft, I've been back to surfing some of the lovely blogs out there, and picking up interesting ideas, inspiration, and challenges for use in my own studio. I made this card on Thursday evening, but yesterday was so packed I didn't have time to blog it. So a lovely Saturday bonus instead!! I'll take it ;)Here is the card I made, inspired by Verve's April Inspiration and Viva la Verve April Sketch for week #1. I combined it with a few other challenges too (below) as the card evolved. I had actually colored another image with a different sketch in mind, and then I saw the verve colors and I thought "oh I have the PERFECT idea for this!!!"....I ended up hopping between the two cards a bit and at one point I confused myself so much on which papers were supposed to go where I just have to burst out laughing. hehe! Once I got back on track I finished both of the cards and called it the BEST stamping day of the year!

I can't tell you enough how much I ADORE this bunny image from Time 4 Tea Designs. When I saw it for the first time I actually went "squeeeeee!!". True story! So SO cute. He's a digi, so I printed him off on Papertrey white cardstock and colored with a whole pile of Copics. The sentiment is from Paper Pretties, I broke it up so I could use both the leaves and the tag to make the sentiment section.Here is the inspiration from the amazing Julee at Verve - April Sketch #1 and April Inspiration:

Friday, April 10, 2015

TGIF, my lovely stampers! I'm so happy to be crafting and sharing again! What a great feeling :) It's been a little nutty here this week with my two little guys home from school on spring break, but luckily, I did manage to get in a bit of stamp room time!
But before we get to the card, I have another exciting announcement! I've accepted a position on the Design Team of a new challenge blog called Simply Papercraft. I'm very please to join the wonderful ladies over there! We have bi-weekly theme challenges that post on Fridays, with Top Pick awards and prizes too! Head over and check it out, I think you will enjoy adding them to your challenge rotation.
Speaking of Simply Papercraft, this is a new challenge week! This is Challenge #2, Steampunk. The challenge is being sponsored by Stitchy Bear. You can visit the Simply Papercraft blog for the challenge link up and prize details! I think that those who know we can agree that Steampunk is NOT something that has EVER been in my wheelhouse, although I have seen many fabulous projects made with the theme. That being said though, I have to say I'm very pleased with how this card turned out. What a great image this Goth Prom Queen is for the challenge!

Friday, April 3, 2015

TGIF, my lovelies! I'm so excited today because I am able to share my first new card as a Wags 'n Whiskers Design Team member!W'nW has challenges every other Friday, with FREE STAMPS up for grabs! The April 3rd Challenge is BUTTONS. Easy peasy....add buttons to your fantastic creation and link up on the W'nW blog post!Here is my card, using the image "Happy Day". I love her! What a doll. Since I have two boys, I always enjoy making girlie cards ;)

I colored this little Miss with Copics, cut out with my newly-rediscovered Nesties, and added buttons and bling for spring. :)This is also a Sketch Challenge! You know those are some of my most favorite things! It's Sketch Saturday #354, and here is the sketch:

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Happy Thursday! Spring Break started here for my kids at noon, so we had a busy afternoon at the park and having a fun early dinner at Culver's (boy's choice hehe). That pushed this post off a bit later than I had planned, but hey, it's still Thursday!But before my CARD POST tomorrow, I wanted to do a quick fly by with a super fun Thursday announcement (well, it's fun for me!)...I was chosen as one of the new Design Team Members over at Wags 'n Whiskers Rubber Stamps! I'm so stoked about this. Before my injury and our move/home remodel ate up the last couple years of my LIFE, I was fortunate enough to be on a number of different Design Teams and Challenge Teams. I LOVED working with the talented artists and the other DT members to show off products and images and generally just have an amazing time stamping and sharing. When I saw the DT call I was hesitant, I had barely stamped in 2 years, but it was one of my goals this year to start working my way back into this wonderous hobby. So in the I applied, and was lucky enough to be picked! Thank you to Lacey and Nicola for this great opportunity! I love the W'nW images - they have super cute animals, kids and fairies...right up my alley! Wags 'n Whiskers hosts a bi-weekly challenge, and the new one goes live tomorrow morning! All of the new teamies have created something lovely for your inspiration, so check it out and play along if you'd like! You can win free stamps...Until the morning - happy stamping to you all!